Neel Patil

Wooden chairs and tables near the entrance of the library are going to be the first furniture pieces replaced. Starting next semester, new furniture will be taking its place.

Starting this year, Lafayette’s Library plans to renovate its furniture and layout for a more modern, refined look to help students feel more comfortable.

Librarian Nicole Ballard-Long said that the renovation will primarily be furniture upgrades and new layout designs. 

“Most of the furniture is dated, and many of the chairs and tables don’t really fit well in the space. The wooden chairs aren’t that sturdy and not that comfortable for students. These new tables they’re called ‘oval-ish’, so the shape is different and they’re on wheels.”

Ballard-Long says the entire process for the library renovation will happen over a three year period, upgrading each part of the library a portion at a time. As these changes start to go into effect, the older, wooden furniture will all be replaced.

Old furniture will be removed from the Library and moved to either warehouses or elementary schools in the district. Some will also stay in Lafayette, and be placed in other classrooms around the school.  

“[The renovation] will be done over three years because industrial furniture is kind of costly. This year, the first classroom when you walk in will have newer furniture,” Ballard-Long said.

 Additionally, the new furniture will allow for more mobility throughout the library, allowing for improvisation for events and programs in the library. 

“The furniture will be mobile so we’ll be able to move and shift things more easily when we have [future] programs.”

The process for the upgrades to the library will occur throughout three phases, the first of which will start by this year, occurring near the entrance of the library. In addition to furniture upgrades, the library also plans to install a feature piece.

Updates will begin in early February, as the furniture will be shipped in during the last week of January. Development will continue to proceed with the upcoming semester, and future phases will occur over the next few years.